Alsun Ain Shams hosts a series of seminars to promote mental health
The Community Service and Environmental Development Affairs Sector, at the Faculty of Al-Alsun, Ain Shams University, in cooperation with the Psychological and Cultural Services Foundation, organized a series of seminars with the aim of promoting mental health, under the auspices of Dr. Mahmoud El-Matini, President of the University, Dr. Abdel Fattah Saud, Vice President for Education and Student Affairs, Dr. Hisham Tamraz, Vice President for Community Service and Environmental Development, Dr. Salwa Rashad, Dean of the College, and the supervision of Dr. Youmna Safwat, Vice Dean for Community Service and Environmental Development.
The Vice Dean for Community Service and Environmental Development explained, during her opening speech, that the seminars include various topics, including how to manage stress, organize time and steps to achieve belonging among young people, as well as how to become a strong personality and finally manage dialogue, difference and acceptance of the other. Presented by: a. Ahmed Ashraf, psychiatrist at Doctors Without Borders, Prof. Yasmine Youssef, psychologist at the Psychological Services Foundation.
During the symposium “Achieving Belonging to Youth”, Doctors Without Borders psychologist Ahmed Ashraf discussed the basics of happiness, and gave an explanation of the list of psychological needs through five steps to achieving happiness, at the forefront of which is meeting natural physiological needs such as eating and sleeping, followed by the need for safety in various forms. Whether in social relations, financial or social situation, work or study.
He explained that the third need is people and the formation of solid social relationships to practice belonging with them, whether at home or at work. The fourth need is the appreciation of those around him, starting with self-esteem, then the appreciation of the mother, parents, and school, stressing that satisfying those desires is what builds self-confidence and self-esteem, which makes a person able to provide useful actions to society.
Finally, comes the final stage for achieving happiness, which is the stage of achievements, explaining that achievements should not be historical or global, but any work that is successfully completed, no matter how simple, is an achievement.
Ahmed Ashraf also reviewed the circles of belonging, pointing out that the circle of belonging to the homeland is defective due to the incompleteness of the circles of belonging that preceded it; Such as home, school and university, all of which are circles that contribute to the formation of what is beyond in a healthy and sound manner.
He also stressed that satisfying the need for belonging is similar to the roots of a tree that extends in the ground, to strengthen the bonds of belonging in the small captive society and the large society, which is the homeland.
He concluded his speech by providing guiding steps to reach a psychologically healthy life, on top of which is accepting predestination, supporting circles of affiliation all the time, enjoying the smallest details, and finally staying away from frustration.
While Yasmine Youssef, a psychologist at the Psychological Services Foundation, addressed the issue of stress management and time management, and how to deal with stress more effectively, whether it is family, academic, societal or other pressures, with the aim of achieving a large degree of psychological balance, happiness and contentment in life.
She pointed out that studies confirm the increase in violence of all kinds in the youth stage, and also indicate that the goal behind this is often not aggression, but rather to prove strength. Also, during this symposium, the meaning of real personal power was discussed, which is to influence others in a civilized manner, prove and preserve oneself and psychological limits, and not allow others to penetrate our psychological limits, think scientifically and avoid thinking errors.
It dealt with the most important source of psychological pressure and suffering, which is anxiety with its various sources, both internal and external, and focused on wrong thinking patterns as one of the most important internal sources of anxiety, and rumors as one of the most important external sources of anxiety in society, and how to deal with each of them.